Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Dartmouth offered early admission to 461 students for Class of 2014

http://thedartmouth.com/2009/12/02/news/edadmit

In what Dean of Admissions Maria Laskaris said was partly a result of recent discussions on increasing class size to generate additional revenue, Dartmouth offered early admission to 461 students on Tuesday, 60 more than last year.

“If there was a time — if we are going to grow — this was a great pool to do so with,” Laskaris said.

The College received a record 1,594 early applications, up from 1,571 last year. About 29 percent of students who applied early were accepted to the College.

If College officials ultimately decide not to increase the size of the freshman class, the admissions office will accept fewer students than planned during regular decision, making that process slightly more competitive, Laskaris said.

Students of color represent 26 percent of the admitted group, Laskaris said, versus 27 percent last year.

Of the early-admitted students, 7 percent are from countries other than the United States, a 1-percent increase from last year, Laskaris said.

“[The need-blind financial aid for international students] definitely factored into the increase in international students,” Laskaris said. “We’re one of the only small handful of schools who are now need-blind for financial aid for all of our applicants.”

Average SAT scores for early-admitted students were slightly higher this year than last, with an average total of 2150, up from 2137. About 88 percent of admitted students are in the top 10 percent of their high school class.

“In terms of academic performance, we continue to see academically talented students,” Laskaris said.

The early applicant pool for the Class of 2014 was noticeably committed to social justice and tackling the world’s problems through academic learning, Laskaris said.

“I really began to think as I looked at applications, ‘Wow, I really see a lot of students who embody the qualities [College President Jim Yong Kim] was talking about,’” she said. “They wanted to make an impact, and they wanted to wrestle academically with these challenges.”

About 24 percent of admitted students are from New England, 29 percent are from Mid-Atlantic states, 13 percent are from the South and 18 percent are from the West.

Of the admitted students, 230 are male and 231 are female.

Regular decision applications for the Class of 2014 are due on Jan. 1.


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